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12 February 2013

MICHAEL MANN - To Live and Die in L.A. (2). Collateral (2004)

Tom Cruise as Vincent in Mann's Collateral.

I was going to post an entry on Manhunter, based on my enslavement to chronological film analysis, but since Collateral is a Mann film I saw again recently on Blu-ray, I was compelled to offer a closer look at a key sequence which includes the introduction of Vincent’s character and ends with him taking Max hostage as his collateral. I have selected key shots from a sequence that lasts for around eight minutes and will attempt to weave together the way in which formal elements (also genre and narrative) interact with wider contextual considerations such as authorial traits, stardom, American culture, class and politics. Many regard Collateral as a key work in Mann’s oeuvre and can be situated alongside films like Heat in its topographical mapping of Los Angeles as a transitory urban space that both alienates and displaces asynchronous protagonists like Vincent (Tom Cruise).

Keys to the castle.

Vincent is formally introduced to
us with a medium close up of his hand punching a code into a keypad of a locked
door. He completes this action with an ease that underlines his professionalism
and power over technology. His open access to the urban spaces through which he
drifts signifies his position as both an outsider and in this case an insider
makes him ruthlessly efficient and typical of Mann’s crime protagonist who is a
slave to personal integrity. The power of this action is mirrored in the
following shot, which frames Vincent in the centre, signposting the star power
of Tom Cruise through a noticeable pause in the narrative.

Cruise is given...

...a star entrance comparable to Hanks and Crowe below.

This interruption is
significant since the gesture of Cruise raising his head and seemingly looking
at us reiterates his star status and is comparable to Tom Hanks’ introduction
in Saving Private Ryan and Russell Crowe in Gladiator.

A notable star gesture: slowly raising the head.

The ray-ban sun-glasses
were popularised by Cruise in Risky Business and interestingly given the way a
film stars image is predicated on past associations, in this case, the
sunglasses remind us of Cruise and his long time relationship with ray-ban.
Additionally, the sunglasses are a film noir trope since by concealing his eyes
not only makes him look threatening but also frames him as someone who guards
his privacy and inner life. The use of space behind Vincent in this particular
shot is also significant since the emptiness of such urban spaces echoes his
cynical perspective on Los Angeles as sprawled and disconnected. In many ways,
his alienation from the spaces around him is underlined with an explicitness
maintained in much of the film. The grey hair and beard while the sunken
cheekbones extenuated by the fluorescent lighting constructs a ghostly image of
a man. Such ghostly imagery is anchored by the choice selection of a grey suit creating
a veneer of respectability to what is a ruthlessly amoral profession. We are
never explicitly told about the location from which Vincent emerges but Annie’s
destination tells us what we need to know, that this is a federal building and
we are meant to assume he has been meeting someone. The keypad code is about
power and is later reinforced when Vincent uses a swipe card to bypass the
security checkpoint.

The next set of shots sees
Vincent walking confidently through the federal building. A low angle
asymmetrical shot establishes Vincent as a man constantly on the go who
assuredly navigates his way through urban spaces. The subsequent asymmetrical
shot is one of the first of many in which Vincent’s presence creates disruption
within the frame. Vincent’s stealth like movement repeatedly sees him pushing
into the frame, making him altogether more threatening. In terms of the doomed
male protagonist often associated with the noir genre, Vincent’s ice cool
demeanour situates him as a contemporary variation of the femme fatale, the
homme fatale. Vincent’s presence in the federal building is momentary since he
is a transient figure who finds it impossible to forge attachments, which is
yet another popular Mann thematic.

Vincent is a transient figure...

...who drifts through the urban milieu.

As Vincent exits the building, we
cut to a fleeting shot of Annie (Jada Pinkett) who has just exited the taxicab
driven by Max (Jamie Foxx). The early crossing of paths between Vincent and
Annie establishes themes of fate and chance symptomatic of the noir idiom. In
terms of classical Hollywood narrative, Annie’s presence in the periphery of
Vincent’s predatory gaze confirms her wider role within the plot and final
section of the film. Ideologically, the space in which Vincent and Annie’s
paths cross holds potential significance since it is a federal building and a
place that symbolises institutional power. The exclusion of Max from such a
space at this moment of time in the narrative makes apparent the class and
economic divisions that exists between Vincent/Annie and Max. We later discover
that Max is somewhat ashamed of his working class aspirations and is reluctant
to discuss them with Vincent.

Passing Annie on the escalator.

In terms of incongruous shots, as
Vincent makes his way down the escalator, we cut to a POV shot of the lobby.
Mann seems to hold on this shot briefly but given the subjective nature of the
shot, it’s as if Vincent is almost daydreaming for an instance, and by dwelling
on such a detail inserts a degree of banality to his character. Simultaneously
this shot also foregrounds an authorial preoccupation with filming
architectural spaces that interest Mann.

A rare POV shot.

As the taxi ride begins,
non-diegetic sound is introduced in the form of classical music, which acts as
a metaphor for the jarring sophistication associated with Vincent’s character.
This is unusual because Vincent is a hit man but ‘Bach’ becomes his way of
signifying his cultural status within society; we are clearly supposed to view
him as part of the educated, refined elite. We can interpret further that
Vincent sees killing other people as comparable to somebody who has composed a
piece of music; ultimately he views himself as an artist and this complicates
his status as a sociopath with whom we finds ourselves empathising with on
occasions. A bird’s eye view of Los Angeles as a vast metropolis is important
since by having the taxicab merge into the dense urban space accentuates their inconsequential lives and sets up the theme of aloneness that troubles Vincent.

Los Angeles as sprawled out and disconnected.

The reluctance of Max to engage
in conversation with Vincent is partly to do with how Max is represented as
somebody lost in self delusion and unable to communicate the essence of his
dreams. The taxicab can be viewed as a metaphor that acts as a barrier between
Max and the real world. In the cab he is disconnected from reality, unable to
reflect on the mundane life he leads. Vincent’s dependency on technology is a
continuing theme and it is repeated through the image of the electronic tablet
that he carries with him. Also, his dependency on technology is exposed later
in the film when Max discards the briefcase, forcing Vincent to put Max to the
test of imitation and performance. Vincent’s disillusionment is awkwardly
manifested in his allegorical recollection of the dead man on the MTA who
nobody seems to notice. Though Vincent desires anonymity it is dying alone that
he really fears. So far I have argued against a dominant reading of Vincent as
the doomed noir protagonist but once he meets Max his trajectory towards death
becomes altogether clearer since it is his mirror image in the shape of Max who
will be the one to take his life. Most of this sequence frames both Vincent and
Max behind the glass of the car windows and the city passing them by is
reflected with a clarity onto the glass producing a tactile submersion of the
characters into the city. Neither of them can hide from the way a city like Los
Angeles renders people immaterial.

Vincent’s rage or white male
angst is familiar to us from films like Taxi Driver and Falling Down and as he
continues with his allegory of the dead man on the MTA, we cut to a shot from
the front of the cab looking at Vincent behind a plastic/glass barrier that
separates the driver from the passenger. This image acts as visual
reinforcement of the animalistic qualities inherent in Vincent and momentarily
he becomes almost caged behind this plastic/glass barrier. Moreover, such an
image of containment reiterates the disruption Vincent brings with him.

The theme of mirror images gains
momentum, resonating in the editing which matches the framing of Vincent and
Max while creating a more intimate mood by moving closer to their faces. This
synchronous pattern of editing is important since Vincent is also gaining the
confidence of Max by getting him to ‘open up’ about his aspirations but this
never happens in its totality given the way Max is embarrassed by his own shortcomings.
In some ways, Vincent acts as an inadvertent force of liberation, awakening Max
from his false consciousness and asking him to question his subservient position
in the system. Unfortunately, it is not possible to read Vincent as a political
entity since he is a sociopath motivated by an innate sense of self-loathing.

Mirror Images.

Having reached his first of many
temporary pauses in his odyssey through a nocturnal Los Angeles, Vincent
changes persona again and this time propositions Max. The way Vincent flashes
the cash in front of Max momentarily positions him as the slimy capitalist
exploiting the hapless proletariat. Max is easily lured by such opportunism,
reiterating yet again the submissive nature of his character. Vincent’s
seduction of Max with money seems to add weight to the argument of his status
as contemporary equivalent of the femme fatale. However, his manipulation of
Max is predicated on money not sex typical of the femme fatale in classical
noir cinema. In the universe of Michael Mann, male protagonists, especially
those shown in conflict with one another, typically seek out a mutual
understanding based on professionalism, integrity and self-respect. Male
bonding, which in many cases can occur without characters meeting, is another
central authorial obsession that has its seeds in this first of many
antagonistic conversations between Vincent and Max.

Vincent seduces Max.

Now that Vincent has charmed Max,
he asks him to park around the back and exits, leaving to meet his first
target. Yet again framing is crucial as the city is extenuated, its domineering
presence eclipsing their lives and attesting them to be at the mercy of the
urban space. Max turns to look at the briefcase whereby its significance as a
plot device is underlined and doubly objectified as a symbol of Vincent’s status
as a transient figure. While Max waits for Vincent, he eats a sandwich and
dreams. The want to acquire the Mercedes Benz, an elitist symbol, is a foolish
aspiration since Max is a dreamer. We later discover when Max visits his mother
in hospital that he has been fooling her with the notion that ‘Island Limos’ is
a business reality when in fact it is an unrealised dream. The shot of the
business card is particularly significant when juxtaposed to the Mercedes brochure,
as it is a complicated bind of vacillation that hinders Max from elevating
himself out of a disempowering social predicament.

Max settles down for the ride.

The next series of
shots sees Vincent stoically making his way to the first target. As he walks
past the apartments, Vincent looks into one of them through the expansive glass
window and we someone lying on a bed watching television. This depicts
Vincent's gaze as omnipotent and since this level of transparency is in essence
an extension of the theme of power, we also realise Vincent does not care about
invading the private space of others. He does so without any sense of shame. An
oppositional reading of this particular combination of shots is that Vincent's
aloofness means he regards himself to be intellectually superior to those
around him. However, such aloofness merges with arrogance that problematises
the morality of Vincent's unsavoury decisions. The asymmetrical framing is
particularly distinct as Vincent yet again pushes into the frame with the city
this time bearing down on his resolute figure of Vincent. Next, the composition
offset by the indifferent facial expression to the right of the frame is tied
to the disorder that Vincent is about to unleash.

Vincent stalking his prey.

Cross cutting between
Max and Vincent sustains dramatic tension and slowly builds suspense but it is
also used to draw attention to the ideological differences that exists between
the dynamic and imposing figure of Vincent and the passive and docile figure of
Max. To reinforce such differences, Mann cuts to shots of Max munching away on
a sandwich and reading his brochure, suggesting Max is duped by the trappings
of a capitalist system to ever become what he wants, relegated to taking
pleasure in the comforts offered to him by his safe and reassuring routine; he
is not only oblivious to Vincent’s sinister character, he is oblivious to reality.

Dreaming...

...of a better life.

The surprise elliptical cut from Max munching on his homemade sandwich to
the subjective point of view of Vincent’s first victim crashing down on the
hood of the taxi cab is both startling and disorientating. The use of ellipsis
is crucial in terms of withholding key narrative information from us as an
audience and sustaining the enigma of Vincent’s character. One of the other
motivating factors why we are not shown how Vincent kills his first victim is
because Vincent does not care about the who, the how and the why, he is only
interested in completing the job. It is civilians like Max who are forced to
deal with the consequences of the aftermath. Therefore, Vincent’s vacant and
apathetic ideological perspective is supported by the use of elliptical
editing.

Ellipsis.

Max finally comes face to face with the destructive Vincent and
his immediate reaction of bemusement soon turns to abject horror. He gets out
of the cab, looking at the body then up to the window. Studying the demeanour of
Vincent as he approaches, Max realises his predicament. Such a moment
contradicts the theme of mirror images since Max and Vincent share very little,
if anything, in common. In fact, this stand off between Vincent and Max is
familiar to us from various film genres as it serves as a common narrative
device. In this case, Vincent uses the threat of violence to coerce Max and it
is the first of many times we see him raise his gun. Vincent is a prototypical
Mann protagonist since he will allow nothing to come in the way of his professionalism
including any sort of compromise. In terms of star image, Vincent is perhaps
the one role that Cruise has played in which he refuses to elicit our
sympathies yet it is one of Cruise’s fiercest performances. Playing against
type for an international star such as Cruise can result in box office poison
but it also means associations stars bring with them can be challenged in more openly
subversive ways. Vincent is one of Cruise's most memorable roles and it came at time in his career when he had become open to more problematic unconventional characters while being prepared to subvert his star image as he had proven in Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia and Vanilla Sky.

Vincent gets serious.

The only way Vincent can continue
on his trajectory unhindered is by acquiring the complicity of Max in his
crimes. Max becomes a witness and distant observer to the crimes perpetrated by
Vincent and this is the first of many deaths he witnesses, failing to intervene.
Max attempts to distance himself from what he has just witnessed but Vincent
realises he is a liability. It is only much later when Vincent shots dead the detective Fanning (Mark Ruffalo) does he finally react, denouncing
Vincent as nothing more than a 'sociopath' and crashing the cab. The title of the
film needs discussing in relation to this first sequence since it could be
interpreted in two ways. Firstly, and perhaps most obviously, after the first
hit, Max becomes Vincent’s collateral in case anything should happen. Secondly,
and more ideologically, collateral is often seen in the media in relation to
the term ‘collateral damage’ which in terms of war and especially those
perpetrated by the west means ‘incidental damage’ that occurs from a targeted
action. In many ways, it is within the context of contemporary discourse on the notion of collateral damage that we should read the actions of Vincent and the amoral attitudes he espouses.

Max as collateral.

As the taxicab pulls away down the side street, the soundtrack changes to a more techno-synth beat which we have heard before in films such as Manhunter and Heat and which is often the heartbeat of the obsessive police detective. The trajectory of Vincent is clear now and so is his destination - death. Such a a thematic statement is counterpointed to the introduction of Detective Fanning who we assume will be the one to take down Vincent. In terms of genre coding, this narrative junction re-establishes a familiar conflict characteristic of the crime film; the cop vs the criminal. Another point to mention and which probably needs more exploration is the way Mann's films over the years especially his most recent films have quickened in terms of editing. It would be interesting to complete some kind of look at the average shot length, comparing his recent films to earlier ones. Both Collateral and Public Enemies were co-edited by Paul Rubell who has also worked on high concept blockbusters such as Transformers which adhere to a hyper-editing rhythm. Nonetheless, given Mann's discernible authorial stamp, he still succeeds in pausing to survey the urban milieu with such adventurous clarity. Clocking in at just 120 minutes, Collateral also makes for one of Mann's leanest films.

About Me

I am Head of Film Studies at Aquinas College, Stockport. I am a lecturer (or facilitator as they like to say these days) who teaches A Level Media & Film Studies - my favourite film is Robert Bresson's 1959 masterpiece, 'Pickpocket'.

I am currently studying for a MA in Screen Studies at the University of Manchester.